1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to infant car seats and, more particularly, to handle assemblies for infant car seats.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infant car seats are commonly used to conveniently and safely seat and transport infants and small children. Such infant car seats generally comprise a molded plastic seat shell including a seating surface for supporting the infant and a U-shaped handle that extends transversely across the seat shell. The handle is typically rotatably connected to the sides of the seat shell by rivets or other fasteners.
A lock mechanism is typically provided at the ends of the handle to lock the handle in various rotational positions relative to the seat shell. Generally, the handle is locked in place above the seat shell when the car seat is being carried. The handle is generally locked in place behind the seat shell when the car seat is positioned, for example, on the seat of a vehicle.
A user places the infant in the seat shell and grasps the handle to lift and transport the infant and car seat. Because the handle traverses the car seat, the user must rotate his or her carrying hand so that the palm of the hand faces either forwardly in the direction of travel of the user or rearwardly away from the direction of travel. Both of these hand positions are unnatural and, if the user is required to carry the infant a substantial distance or for a substantial period of time, the user's carrying arm, wrist, and hand can quickly become fatigued. In addition, because of the natural hand position of the person carrying the seat, the car seat tends to rotate and bang against the legs of the user as the user walks with the car seat.
Various handles have been designed to provide a more comfortable hand position for the user. For example, in one existing handle design, a grip portion of the handle extends longitudinally, rather than transversely, with respect to the seat shell so that the user's palm faces inwardly towards the user's side when transporting the car seat. While this and other existing handle designs are more ergonomic than the transversely extending handle design, further improvements are necessary.
Another problem with existing handles is that the lock mechanisms associated with such handles are typically complex and sometimes fail to engage properly. In addition, the lock mechanisms typically comprise a number of plastic components that, even when properly engaged, sometimes fail under load. If the lock mechanism fails, the seat shell can rotate suddenly and cause injury to the infant, especially if the infant is not securely buckled into the car seat.